Franklin expedition search continues for 6th summer

The Canadian government will continue its hunt for the ill-fated Franklin expedition ships this summer, expanding the search party to include four ships and an autonomous underwater vehicle similar to that used to scour the ocean floor for the missing Malaysian jetliner.

• Special report: searching for Franklin
• More doubts raised that lead poisoned expedition crew
• Parks Canada hoping to resume Franklin search in Arctic this summer

In 1845, Sir John Franklin and 128 sailorsembarked from England to find the Northwest Passage. Search parties later recorded Inuit testimony that claimed one ship sank in deep water west of King William Island and one ship went perhaps as far south as Queen Maud Gulf or into Wilmot and Crampton Bay.

Last year's budget, which typically ranges from $50,000 to $275,000, was $130,000 down from the highest amount possible the year prior.

This summer, the search team will be expanded to include four vessels, Minister of the EnvironmentLeona Aglukkaq announced Friday in a written statement. The previously used coast guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurierand research vesselMartin Bergmann will be joined by HMCSKingston and One Ocean Voyager.

• Watch a video from last year's Parks Canada search
• Check out photos from last year's Franklin search

To make the search possible, the government is partnering with public, private and non-profit groups, including:

• Parks Canada.
• The Canadian Space Agency.
• The Arctic Research Foundation.
• Shell Canada.
• One Ocean Expeditions, which offers small-cruise expeditions to the high Arctic and Antarctic.

"Our government has made the North a priority," said Aglukkaq in a written statement. "Through exploration and research in Canada's Arctic, we can understand our past and secure our future."